Most of you probably know that I spend Thirsty Thursday at the Barre- well The Barre Code that is! This summer I tried my first class and fell in love with the concept! The first thing I noticed was that the rooms had dim lighting and well, I was ALL about that because that meant there was smaller chance of people seeing me look like a fool! Secondly, I loved the music. The music and lights are synchronized, essentially if you try to forget the fact you are working out, you can kinda convince yourself that you’re at the club.

The environment is not only fun and upbeat but also positive. The instructors talk about body positivity and trying your best throughout each class. It’s a judgment free zone. This is something that is SO important for me. After being diagnosed with Ehlers Danlos, I really struggled to do group workout classes because I was embarrassed about how I had to modify some of the movements/workouts. Everyone at Barre Code has been very accepting and has not skipped a beat when I have to modify a movement or try something different because an exercise just isn’t working for me.

My favorite class is Barredio and MORE people need to be coming! Let me tell you- it’s a party. We learn a routine and usually spend 4 weeks working on it. Each week we add on a little bit more! We just recently completed a Britney Spears VS Christina Aguilera routine. This means the first half of our workout choreography was composed of Britney style moves and the second half had choreography that was more of Christina’s style. (I am so sad I am having to miss tomorrow due to Open House night at my school.)

The second class (the first one I ever tried) is TBC- total body conditioning. I personally think this class was a good starting point for me. I would highly recommend this if you are not sure where exactly to start in the Barre workout process. This class is designed to workout your entire body. A TBC class weights (2lbs or 3lbs) and sometimes a ball or Thera-band!

The Barre Code is recognized by Self Magazine and Vogue for having some of the best workouts in the Country, and let’s be real Vogue is like second to the Bible so if they say it is great you know it must be true!

As always, feel free to contact me with any questions that you may have and if you ever want to tag along please reach out!

XO

-$arah

The Barre Code has studios all over the country! Below is a list of states where you can find The Barre Code! Click HERE to see if there is a location in your city!

If you asked my friends to describe me they would say loud, confident, energetic… hopefully, they would say I was funny :), but one word I know that would not used to describe me is sick.

When I was 16 years old I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). May is Ehlers Danlos Awareness Month, so after encouragement from a friend of mine who also has EDS, I decided to do a post about it. EDS is a connective tissue disorder that is caused by a defect in collagen. Collagen is the most abundant protein in the human body. All tissues of the body including ligaments, bones, tendons, muscles, skin, blood vessels, gums, eyes and large organs rely on collagen for their strength. Collagen is used to hold your bones together, but since mine is deficient- my muscle and ligaments have to hold my body together (which is not what they were designed to do!). Because of this, my bones are constantly a little shaky. At any given moment my elbow, knee cap, ankle or any given bone can pop out of place without warning. My body has to work harder than the average persons because it requires much more energy to try to “hold me together”. I have to plan out every aspect of my week, if I want to be able to go out and have fun on the weekends, I know that I will have to spend Sunday- Thursday resting up at night. I also have to find time for my physical therapy program that I do 4-5x a week. This is something that I will have to navigate for the rest of my life, as well as chronic pain. I have good days and bad days but I make the most of every day. EDS is not something I really talk about and I do not let it define me.

One of my goals with my blog is to inspire people to feel confident in themselves. Somedays I may be having a bad pain day, but by putting on something fun and spunky it can give me the confidence I need to make it through the day.